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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27882286">Snowed In</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hime_no_Kowai_Shumi/pseuds/Hime_no_Kowai_Shumi'>Hime_no_Kowai_Shumi</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Grey's Anatomy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Cuddling, F/F, Snowed In, meddison, one bed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-20 11:40:57</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>16,296</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27882286</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hime_no_Kowai_Shumi/pseuds/Hime_no_Kowai_Shumi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>They were lost in the woods, during a blizzard, because the Chief wanted them to do some sort of bonding exercise, and Addison had chosen hiking. (Or the one where Meddison are snowed in in an old cabin), Set sometime late S3, after the ferry boat accident, AU, post MerDer breakup, eventual Meddison</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Meredith Grey/Addison Montgomery, past Addison Montgomery/Derek Shepherd - Relationship, past Meredith Grey/Derek Shepherd</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>109</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>208</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I’m back with another multi-chapter. Not sure how long this will be yet, so don’t expect a super long fic (but also don’t rule it out). Enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><em>This was a horrible idea.</em> </p><p>For the fifth time in as many minutes, the thought passed through Meredith’s mind as she begrudgingly followed the tall, redheaded woman in front of her. She was hungry and cold and tired, and the snow was doing nothing but reminding her how bright and shiny it is. When she’d agreed to Doctor Webber’s request about getting some time away from the hospital, she’d initially thought he meant getting away from scut, maybe doing one-on-one surgeries, maybe even getting away for a lunch break. Away from the hospital but not <em>away </em>from the hospital, just away from the drama and gossip. Never did she imagine she’d be out in the woods with Addison (Doctor Montgomery Not-Shepherd, Satan herself) doing some kind of bonding exercise. Bonding, with her ex-boyfriend’s insanely hot ex-wife. Hiking, of all things. She was a surgeon, for Christ’s sake. She didn’t hike. Jog, maybe, with Cristina. But hike? Oh no. Not at all.</p><p>She was freezing, and the icy wind was biting into her skin. She’s wearing all the essential things - snow boots, gloves, hat, scarf, coat, warm clothes - but the cold, Seattle winter had descended upon them; she may as well be naked with how cold she was.</p><p>This was the <em>best</em> idea Richard Webber had ever had. And if she made it out alive, she’d tell him that.</p><p>Honestly, what had possessed her to agree to this? Why hadn’t she objected? Or offered a different solution? Especially in this cold.</p><p>The wind was starting to pick up, and she was cursing herself for not checking the weather as the snow continued to fall, as she continued to follow Addison.</p><p>In the OR, she trusted Addison completely. She anticipated the older woman’s needs, knew exactly how she liked the OR set up, knew what was expected of her. She wasn’t planning on going into neonatal, but an OR was an OR, and she was desperate to learn. And after her dip in the bay during the ferry boat crash a couple months back, a lot of Attendings were playing it safe around her, giving her easy tasks, giving her labs to run, scut to do, never allowing her to get her hands dirty the way she desperately needed to.</p><p>But not Addison.</p><p>Once the redhead knew that she was back to work at 100 percent, it was like nothing had changed. The only time she felt relatively normal was in Addison’s OR, and she’d never thought that would happen. Addison treated her like a surgical intern, yes, but also like a person. She allowed her to hold a scalpel, make the first incision, let her close. Quizzed her on her knowledge. Nothing had changed. But clearly <em>something</em> had. Addison may not have been treating her any different in the OR, but sometimes, she felt the woman’s piercing blue eyes on her. Watching her. As if she was trying to dissect her. But it didn’t feel uncomfortable. In fact, she almost welcomed it.</p><p>She and Addison joked around with each other both in the OR and out; they brought each other coffee. They were becoming sort of friends, she supposed. And It didn’t feel weird like she’d expected it to be. It felt normal. So she didn’t quite understand why Dr. Webber had insisted on this bonding exercise. Maybe he thought they needed to hang out outside of work, and while that wasn’t a bad idea, she thought that either she or Addison should’ve made the call, not the Chief of Surgery; so here they were, for no real reason at all, in the cold Seattle air, freezing their asses off.</p><p>“Are you sure this is a good idea?” She questioned for what seemed like the millionth time since they’d started the long trail. </p><p>She wasn’t questioning the Attending. A far cry from that, in fact. She knew that Addison knew what she was doing. She just wasn’t so sure if the sky knew what <em>it </em>was doing. The weather was a wonky force of nature, after all. It could change in a moment, in the blink of an eye.</p><p>For a few minutes there was nothing besides the crunch of their boots on the snow, the howling wind and the flecks of snowflakes melting on her skin. She forced herself not to shiver in the freezing cold. </p><p>“What, this isn’t fun for you, Grey?” Addison teased, and she fought the urge to roll her eyes at the other woman’s exuberance.</p><p>She was cold and tired and hungry. At least at the hospital she wasn’t concerned about freezing to death.</p><p>“Oh, yeah,” She replied, sarcasm dripping from every word, and she couldn’t contain the full-body shudder, “This is so much fun.”</p><p>Addison merely laughed.</p><hr/><p>Addison wasn’t sure how long they’d been hiking before the wind picked up. The weather had mentioned only light flurries for today, so this was completely unexpected. She was almost regretting choosing today as her bonding experience with Meredith. And really, did Richard have to call it that? Bonding, really? Why couldn’t he have just said it was another lesson or something to that effect? Because she most certainly didn’t need to bond with the ex-dirty mistress of her ex-husband.</p><p>They were getting along fine. Just the other day, she’d brought the blonde coffee. In fact, she was sure he’d seen them drinking that coffee. But he was the Chief and to appease his meddling, she’d chosen something that Meredith wouldn’t complain about too much. And the fresh air was good for both of them.</p><p>She slowed her steps so that Meredith was walking beside her, instead of behind. With the way the snow was beginning to fall quicker, she knew they needed to start looking to turn around or find some kind of shelter. Her father may not have been able to teach her how to sail, but she knew how to deal with the makings of a blizzard. But which would be better, turning back or finding shelter? </p><p>“Is that a cabin?” Meredith’s voice shook her from her thoughts, and she turned to follow her voice.</p><p>And that it was. A log cabin, its porch covered in snow, which had already accumulated a few inches. It was a little off the trail, but it looked to be in decent condition. Seemed to her like the decision was taken right out of her hands, as Meredith stepped off the snow-covered trail to investigate. </p><p>“Grey,” she called out, but the blonde paid her no attention as she made her way to the cabin. Reluctantly, she followed, calling after her, “Meredith.”</p><p>The intern’s looked back at her hopefully, her bright eyes shining, “Can we take a break here? We’ve been walking for hours.”</p><p>At most, it had been an hour and a half. The trail wasn’t that long, and was supposed to loop around, eventually. </p><p>“This may be someone’s house, Meredith,” She shivered as the wind continued to blow, “We can’t just trespass.” She stared open-mouthed as Meredith found a welcome mat buried under the snow, lifting it up to find a key, “Meredith…”</p><p>“It’s just for a few minutes, Addison,” Meredith unlocked the door and stepped inside. Reluctantly, she followed, shutting the door behind her.</p><p>It was marginally warmer than outside, and she was thankful for that. The wind howled loudly as it banged against the windows, and she shivered once more. This was a bad idea. What if the owners came home and saw their cabin was being used by two strangers?</p><p>“We can’t stay long,” She explained, even as Meredith was taking off her boots, dropping her backpack, and rummaging around for something in a drawer. </p><p>She found a light switch, but nothing happened when she flicked it. Looks like owners may not be coming after all. The cabin could very well be a summer home.</p><p>She stood in the middle of the room as Meredith found a pack of matches and moved over to the fireplace. A few logs were stacked against it, and she put a couple in the pit and carefully lit one. </p><p>“Are you out of your mind?” </p><p>Meredith looked back at her, tilting her head, confusion dancing in her eyes, “What?”</p><p>“We can’t just use someone else’s things.”</p><p>“I don’t know if we’ll be leaving anytime soon,” Meredith replied, “And besides, it’s just wood and some matches. We can get more.”</p><p>She looked out the window and saw that Meredith was right. There was no way they’d be able to see past the blizzard that had finally decided to form. In fact, she wasn’t sure which way they’d come. If they attempted to leave, she was sure they’d just lose their way. It looked like they’d be here for a while.</p><p>“Light flurries, my ass,” She muttered.</p><p>She sighed and slipped off her jacket and boots, setting them both down neatly. Hopefully, the blizzard would stop soon and they’d be able to make it back to her car in relative time. She checked her phone and found that she had no bars, but saw that it was still early, barely an hour and a half had passed since they’d been on the trail. They’d begun their trip around 10 am, and with the sun setting around 4 pm, they didn’t have a lot of daylight to work with. Luckily, the trail wasn’t a far drive.</p><p>“I don’t have any bars either,” Meredith said, setting her own coat down.</p><p>She took a moment to explore the cabin. There was a large bed in the corner of the room, blankets folded neatly on top. They looked well-kept, free of dust. A room off the back held a bathroom, and she was relieved that the sink produced water: it meant the pipes weren’t frozen. The cabinets were bare, and she was grateful they’d brought some supplies. Though how far granola bars and water would get them, she wasn’t sure. She took in the worn table and chairs and frowned thoughtfully.</p><p>The fire was warm, and she sighed softly as she sank down in front of it. Meredith took up a spot beside her.</p><p>She looked over at Grey. There were worse people to be holed away with, she supposed. Still, she was hoping the weather cleared up soon. Because as much as she tolerated a short bonding/hiking session with Meredith Grey, she hadn’t planned on being stuck in a cabin with her. It made her feel too much, alone in this close proximity, and she wasn’t sure she liked it.</p><p>Meredith turned and caught her eye, and she held her gaze, even though she wanted to turn away. One beat. Two. Three. She kept staring at her, unable to break eye contact.</p><p>She thought of their conversation before Meredith’s appy; she knew the blonde didn’t remember. When she found herself terrified to walk into the drugged-up woman’s room, for fear of what she’d say to her. When she’d finally admitted to the woman and herself that she didn’t hate her. When Meredith had been trying to choose between two men and in the end, choose neither.</p><p>She thought about the ferry boat accident. She remembered thinking it was odd when Meredith didn’t come back with the others, but she’d had patients and the pregnant Jane Doe, and she’d pushed the blonde to the back of her mind. For just a second, one second. And then she walked into the room to see the blonde laying on the table, blue, intubated, rounds of epi being pushed into her in an attempt to make her heart start beating. How she felt like her world was ending because, despite their best efforts, she and Meredith had grown close. And, yet, it was more than that.</p><p>Yes, Yang and Meredith’s friends had been despondent, Derek had been despondent. They were close to Meredith. They should’ve been worried and despondent. But <em>her</em>? The ex-wife of the man Meredith had been seeing at the time? She had no right to want to slide down the wall beside Derek, to stare at the woman like her world was ending in front of her. She had no right to love her that way.</p><p>And maybe that was why she was okay with this hiking experience. Because she had Meredith’s attention. There were no pages, no traumas, no distractions. Just her and Meredith and the outdoors. So what if they didn’t really need the bonding? Just being with Meredith was enough.</p><p>“Are you okay?” Meredith asked, breaking her from her thoughts.</p><p>She blinked, finally breaking eye contact. </p><p>“We’re stuck in a log cabin in the middle of a blizzard, and no one knows where we are,” she replied, unable to hold back the snark in her voice, “I’m peachy.”</p><p>Without missing a beat, Meredith answered, “Careful there, Satan. Don’t let my dark and twisty nature overtake you.”</p><p>She smirked, “Good comeback, Grey. Be careful or I might think you actually like me.”</p><p>Meredith smiled, “You’re not the worst person to be stuck with.”</p><p>“You’re not the worst person to be stuck with either,” She agreed.</p><p>After all, the worst person would <em>definitely</em> be —</p><p>“At least we’re not stuck with Derek,” Meredith piped up, and she shot her a look.</p><p>She couldn’t keep the grin off her lips, “You’re reading my mind again, Grey.”</p><p>“Well someone has to,” Came Meredith’s swift reply.</p><p>As the wind continued to bang loudly against the window, she knew that they would be alright.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is either going to be a 3-shot or a 4-shot. I haven’t decided yet. It may even be longer. Who knows, with the way my muse works.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The blizzard was still going full force when the sun slipped below the horizon, plunging them into darkness. Addison barely held back her sigh. She was hoping it would’ve let up by now, but the wind rattling against the windows seemed to have only gotten worse in the last couple of hours. She’d been checking through the frosted windows every half hour with no luck. The lack of a phone signal didn’t help anything either; no matter where she stood in the cabin, there was no signal. They really were stuck in the middle of the woods with no one knowing where they were, and it was making her slightly claustrophobic. But at least she wasn’t alone; they had shelter and relative warmth. Those were the only good outcomes. </p>
<p>“Nothing we can do tonight,” She said, making Meredith look up from the fire she was fixing.</p>
<p>“Even if it had stopped by now, it’s too dark to see,” The intern agreed.</p>
<p>An hour or so earlier, they could’ve had the perfect light; however, neither of them had brought a flashlight, and it wouldn’t be smart to just wander in the dark.</p>
<p>She made her way back over to Meredith, sitting on the floor beside her again. At some point in the last hour, the blonde had dragged a large blanket off the bed and wrapped it around herself. The cabin didn’t have much installation, and even with the fire, it was slightly chilly in some parts. The fire wouldn’t last through the night, not without constant watching, but for right now it was good. </p>
<p>Meredith held out part of the blanket, and she gratefully draped it around herself, making sure the intern was still covered. </p>
<p>“We’re going to freeze to death, aren’t we?”</p>
<p>She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Typical Meredith. Dark and twisty. A pessimist without fail. It was one of the many reasons she loved her.</p>
<p>“No,” she disagreed, “We’re not going to freeze to death. We have more blankets on the bed. We can share body warmth.”</p>
<p>“Can we?” Meredith smirked at her and scooted closer, until they were sitting shoulder to shoulder.</p>
<p>This time, she did roll her eyes, albeit in a way that Meredith knew she was joking. She didn’t allow herself the luxury of opening her arms for the blonde, didn’t dare to believe in such wishful thinking. They were friends, yes, but it was still very tentative. Nothing too sudden. They were friends, but not in the same way that Meredith acted around her intern friends, nor the way she interacted with Mark or Callie. They didn’t have lunch together, didn’t meet after work for drinks. They enjoyed the occasional coffee and spur of the moment jokes, but that was it. She wasn’t on the same friendship level as, say, Yang (who she’d found napping with the blonde before), but she and Meredith <em>were</em> friends.</p>
<p>“You’re not going to freeze to death that quickly, are you?” She teased.</p>
<p>“I might,” Meredith answered seriously, and she chuckled softly.</p>
<p>This wasn’t ideal, not at all. Being forced into a situation made this a whole lot less romantic than she’d imagined spending the night with Meredith would be, though she’d deny imagining it at all. At least there was a fire. </p>
<p>“Bailey is going to kill me,” Meredith said suddenly.</p>
<p>She turned to look at her, “I thought you had tomorrow off?”</p>
<p>“No, I swapped with George to get today off,” She hummed in acknowledgement but didn’t speak, “I’m so dead.”</p>
<p>“It’ll be alright,” She soothed. She waited a beat and then, “You swapped with O’Malley to come out hiking with me?”</p>
<p>“Oh well, yeah,” Meredith answered and shifted in her spot, keeping her eyes on the fire, “I wanted to come, and George offered to swap.”</p>
<p>“We could’ve just switched days. Maybe avoided this whole mess if we’d gone tomorrow. Don’t stare into the fire like that,” She reached out and placed her hand on the blonde’s chin, turning her to face her, “You don’t even like hiking, Meredith.”</p>
<p>“But I like you,” Meredith confessed softly.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Meredith hoped the fire was hiding the way her face turned beet red as the words left her mouth. She was not planning on saying that. Not at all. Not that it wasn’t true. She did like Addison. Despite everything, she did. They’d come a long way from where they had started when they’d first met. She’d grown. Addison had grown. They’d grown together. But to confess it out loud? Oh no, no, no. <em>No</em>.</p>
<p>Addison offered her a soft smile, and that immediately made her blush harder, “It’s a good thing that I like you too, then, huh, Grey?” </p>
<p>As she struggled to form words, Addison got up and went rummaging through her backpack. She came back with a bottle of water and a couple granola bars, holding them out for her, and she took them gratefully.</p>
<p>“I brought my own water and granola bars, you know.”</p>
<p>Addison settled back next to her, already opening her water, and taking a drink. As she re-capped the bottle, she spoke, “I know. But I wouldn’t be a very good Attending if I didn’t share with my intern, now would I?”</p>
<p>“You wouldn’t be a very good friend, either.” She challenged. </p>
<p>Addison turned to face her, an eyebrow arched, “Is that what we are, Grey? Friends? For sure?”</p>
<p>She thought back to knitting and swearing off men, and <em>No more men? You? No, I’m asking because we’re friends</em>. How Addison had sat beside her in the bar while she knitted and didn’t drink; she forgot Derek was even there because Addison was staring at her with her blue eyes full of compassion, and that was when she’d started to fall for the redhead. And yes, they could be friends. Because hoping for anything more was a slap in the face.</p>
<p>She smiled, “Of course we’re friends, Addison.”</p>
<p>Addison smiled back, and she felt her heart begin to beat quicker.</p>
<p>It was going to be a long night.</p>
<hr/>
<p>“Go get some sleep. I’ll watch the fire.”</p>
<p>Meredith looked over at her, confused, “It’s 6 p.m.” They’d been swapping stories for the better part of two hours, but she was watching how Meredith kept yawning, how she was keeping herself from falling asleep.</p>
<p>“Just pretend you have a surgery coming up and sleep, Grey,” Her words came out with the slightest hint of frustration, and she took a breath to calm herself, “I know you’re exhausted. Being an intern is exhausting; and you look about to pass out on the floor. So please, Meredith, lay down on the bed and try to sleep.”</p>
<p>Meredith gave her a look, one which she’d determined was her <em>Addison is being nice to me </em>look but took the blanket with her over to the bed. She watched as the blonde made herself comfortable on the bed, as she wrapped the blanket around her like a cocoon. It was almost adorable, watching two bluish-green eyes peeking out from the blanket. </p>
<p>“What about you?” Meredith spoke from her cocoon, and she smirked softly.</p>
<p>“I’m going to keep the fire going. See if I can get a signal,” She held up her phone. It was getting low on battery, but she was sure it would last a few more hours.</p>
<p>“All night?” Came Meredith’s concerned voice.</p>
<p>“Yes,” she answered.</p>
<p>“Addison, you need to sleep too.”</p>
<p>“I’m okay right now. I can just sleep on the floor if I need it.” Why were they even talking right now when Meredith clearly needed sleep? This was her unofficial first day off work since her last 48-hour shift, and she’d already ruined it by choosing to have their bonding-whatever today. She didn’t need to ruin it more by keeping her awake.</p>
<p>“Addison,” Meredith started.</p>
<p>“Sleep, Meredith,” she interrupted, “Just for a few hours at least. We’re going to be stuck here all night, and I’m sorry about that. The least I can do is let you get some extra hours of sleep.”</p>
<p>If anyone would ask to describe Meredith Grey in one word, it would be stubborn. But she was just as stubborn.</p>
<p>“Tell me about your latest case,” The request came from the cocoon, and she sighed softly.</p>
<p>“Meredith, we just talked about cases.”</p>
<p>“I can’t sleep right now. So, tell me a bedtime story.”</p>
<p>She glanced over at the blonde, “You miss neonatal that much? It’s only been a week.”</p>
<p>Meredith smiled, “No, I don’t miss neonatal.”</p>
<p>She smiled softly, “Fine. One case though.”</p>
<hr/>
<p>Addison blinked awake as the wind howled loudly outside. She shifted on the bed slightly, and the dying embers of the fireplace gave her just enough light to see that Meredith was sleeping next to her, her loud snores drowned out by the wind. She wasn’t sure how she’d even gotten on the bed, but vaguely she could picture pleading eyes and Meredith insisting, so that explained that. Her phone was still in her pocket and she fished it out, only to find it dead. </p>
<p>“Damn it,” she muttered. A lot of good it would do without a charge. </p>
<p>She nearly jumped out of her skin as Meredith suddenly shifted, cuddling closer to her. Hesitantly, she wrapped her arms around the slumbering blonde, holding her tight against her. The embers of the fire crackled in the distance. This felt romantic, the fire crackling, holding a gorgeous woman to keep her warm; as she stared down at Meredith’s slumbering form, she was struck with how content she felt. Meredith shifted in her arms, and she struggled to control her breathing. Friends did this. It was normal. They were friends. Though she’d never seen Yang or Meredith cuddle like Meredith was doing with her now.</p>
<p>She wanted to stay in the cabin a bit longer, to be able to hold the slumbering intern a while longer. And that was selfish. They had jobs. The blizzard wouldn't last forever. But for these few hours, she had the opportunity to hold the slumbering blonde, and she would cherish the feeling as long as she could.</p>
<p>“Mmm, Addison?” Meredith’s voice was low and sleepy, and she felt her breath catch.</p>
<p>“Yeah?” She wondered if somehow she’d woken the blonde up, and she immediately started to pull away.</p>
<p>Meredith grabbed at her arms, holding on tightly, while pressing back against her. She couldn’t stop a blush from forming on her face, running up her neck quickly. Sleepy bluish-green eyes stared back at her, “Don’t let go, ‘k?”</p>
<p>“Okay,” She answered but Meredith was already back asleep, her soft snores once again filling the cabin.</p>
<p>This was going to be a long night.</p>
<p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A/N: They’re still in the cabin. Yay. I love writing Meddison in this cabin. Enjoy! </p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Meredith snuggled into the pillow, trying to keep herself from waking up fully. She’d been having the best dream and wanted to go back to it. Humming softly, she curled against the pillow as it shifted below her. Her legs were tangled with something but the thought of moving away was so far from her mind. She was warm, and moving away from that warmth was probably the furthest from her mind. This was definitely the best sleep she’d had in a long time. She wanted to go back to her dream, but it was already slipping from her mind. </p>
<p>She snuggled deeper into the pillow, half-asleep. But as she started to wake, her brain finally caught up to just what was going on. She blinked sleepily, attempting to work the fog from her brain. She was <em>not </em>cuddling a pillow. Oh, no. She couldn’t get <em>that </em>lucky. She was definitely cuddling Addison Forbes Montgomery. And Addison had her arms tight around her, holding her. Vaguely, she could remember asking Addison to get on the bed at some point last night, but it was all hazy. But this moment right here, this was not hazy, not at all. </p>
<p>Addison looked so peaceful when she was sleeping, like some sort of otherworldly goddess. Her hair was pushed back from her face, and she was transfixed. She was completely transfixed by the beauty that was Addison Montgomery. In fact, she was so entranced that she almost didn’t register that the woman was starting to wake up.</p>
<p>“Mmm,” The redhead’s voice was low, and she blushed despite herself. She had no idea why the woman made her react like some hormonal teenager. Addison reflectively tightened her hold, and she felt her breath catch. Addison was holding her, and it felt nice. Better than nice. Sleepy eyes slowly opened, and she found herself staring into Addison’s blue eyes; there was a soft smile on the neonatal surgeon’s face as she spoke again, “Morning.”</p>
<p>“I uh...morning,” She managed to get out. </p>
<p>“Sleep okay?”</p>
<p>Okay, the lack of functional thought was normal, right? She’d woken up next to Derek plenty of times, but the feeling she had waking up next to Addison, the sudden lack of words? It went beyond the feelings she had when she’d woken up next to Derek the first time, the first <em>official </em>time.</p>
<p>“You in there, Grey?”</p>
<p>She blinked, feeling Addison start to pull away. She shivered at the loss of warmth but didn’t try to move closer.</p>
<p>“Yeah,” She answered, “Just still groggy.” Now that the night was over, their bonding experience was finally coming to an end. It was as though something had changed overnight. Because while Addison used to look at her when she thought she wasn’t looking, now she stared openly. And she couldn’t look away. Couldn’t bring herself to break eye contact.</p>
<p>“Meredith,” Addison began.</p>
<p>All she wanted to do was go back to sleep. No matter how much sleep she got, she was exhausted. She wanted to lay down next to Addison, to fall asleep in her arms, and…</p>
<p>“We should try to get to the hospital,” She said quickly, breaking eye contact suddenly. <em>Bad thoughts. Bad</em>! </p>
<p>As she hopped off the bed and went to collect her things, Addison’s voice found her again, “I don’t think we’ll be leaving just yet.”</p>
<p>She made her way over to where Addison stood, looking out the window. The wind had died down some, but it was still strong, and despite the daylight, visibility seemed to have only gotten worse, snow coming down harder than last night.</p>
<p>“You’ve got to be kidding me,” she grumbled.</p>
<p>Addison turned to face her, chuckling softly, “You just can’t wait to get away from me can you?”</p>
<p>And while she knew that Addison meant it as a joke, there was a flash of insecurity in her eyes.</p>
<p>“No, Addison, that’s not it at all,” she corrected her, “I’ve had a really good time. This bonding whatever was nice. It’s just that with Bailey and work and…”</p>
<p>Addison held up her hand, and she immediately shut her mouth, “It's alright, Meredith. I get it. I was an intern too. Demanding bosses.”</p>
<p>“Hectic work schedule,” She added.</p>
<p>“The inappropriate sex.”</p>
<p>She started to nod in agreement, “The…wait, what?!” She looked up, startled, to find Addison smirking at her. She was not going to think about what that smirk did to her. Not at all. Instead,</p>
<p> she started towards the front door.</p>
<p>“What are you doing?” Addison asked her. </p>
<p>She slipped on her coat and boots, “Maybe it just looks bad. Maybe once we get out there, it’ll be fine.”</p>
<p>“Oh, no, you’re not going out there,” Addison answered, quickly making her way over, “It’s a mess.”</p>
<p>“I’m just opening the door and stepping outside,” she started to explain.</p>
<p>“No, it’s too dangerous.”</p>
<p>“It’ll be fine,” she answered with a roll of her eyes, “Don’t hover.” Addison stepped back as if burned, and she sighed softly, “Addison, I didn’t mean…”</p>
<p>“No, it’s fine.” The redhead answered with a sigh, “You’re right. A better look won’t hurt.”</p>
<hr/>
<p>Addison stood back apprehensively as Meredith pulled the door open. Immediately, the icy wind made its way into the cabin. She shivered, wrapping her arms around herself.</p>
<p>“What do you think?” She asked as Meredith stepped out onto the porch.</p>
<p>“I think we’re good.” Meredith said, looking back at her with a bright smile.</p>
<p>That smile took her breath away. </p>
<p>“Can you even see past your nose?”</p>
<p>“No,” Meredith confessed.</p>
<p>“That’s what I thought. Now get back in here. It’s freezing.”</p>
<p>“But it’s so pretty!” </p>
<p>She sighed softly, “Meredith.”</p>
<p>“Addison.”</p>
<p>She frowned, giving the blonde her best Attending stare, “Now, Grey, before you get hurt.”</p>
<p>“I know, I know,” Meredith rolled her eyes but made her way back towards her, “Addison, you worry too much.”</p>
<p>She shut the door behind the blonde, shutting out the freezing wind, “Oh, you have no idea.”</p>
<p>“Yeah?” Meredith asked with a smile.</p>
<p>“Worrying and I are attached at the hip.”</p>
<p>Meredith tilted her head, confused, “You? A worrier?”</p>
<p>“Mhmm,” She helped Meredith with her coat, “And we are not going out there until it stops.”</p>
<p>“Seriously?”</p>
<p>“Seriously,” She answered, “Go start the fire, Dr. Grey.”</p>
<p>Meredith laughed softly, “Whatever you say, Dr. Montgomery.”</p>
<p>She took one last look outside the window before turning back to Meredith. She may have wanted this blizzard to continue, but she would definitely lose her cool if Meredith smiled at her like she had out in the snow again.</p>
<p>“Are you coming?” Meredith asked.</p>
<p>She turned to find the intern kneeling by the fire, looking back at her. Her hair had a soft glow because of the fire, and she smiled. </p>
<p>“Yes, yes,” she replied and headed over. As she made her way to the intern, she had the fleeting thought of <em>I am so very screwed</em>.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A/N: This is going to be more than four chapters, I’m sure. So enjoy the updates as they come. </p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A/N: Not quite sure if I like this chapter or not, but here it is.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Miranda Bailey did not like it when people were late. If they were late, then patients suffered. If they were late, then she was not happy. And Meredith Grey was later than late. And she did not like that one bit. Not at all.</p><p>She found Richard writing on the OR board; she walked up to him, annoyance radiating off her. She didn’t need to say anything, not yet, because she knew his curiosity would get the better of him.</p><p>Sure enough, she’d hardly been standing there less than fifteen seconds before Richard looked over at her, curiosity in his tone, “Bailey?”</p><p>“You said that yesterday was Meredith Grey’s bonding experience with Addison Montgomery.”</p><p>“A day trip. I did. It was,” He agreed.</p><p>“And have you heard anything from either of them?”</p><p>“Should I have?”</p><p>“Well, your star-intern is late for rounds, and that girl is never late. And Addison…”</p><p>“What about Addison?”</p><p>She rolled her eyes, attempting to keep her face impassive. Because of course, at any mention of either woman, Derek Shepherd appeared, despite him being with neither of them.</p><p>“I sent Addison and Meredith out on a little bonding trip yesterday.” Richard answered.</p><p>“You sent my ex-wife and ex-girlfriend on a bonding trip together? Are you sure they didn’t kill each other?” Derek joked.</p><p>“Where did they go?” She questioned, ignoring Derek all together, directing her question at Richard.</p><p>“Hmm, I don’t know. They decided to go yesterday, O’Malley swapped with her, but I don’t know what they decided on doing. Addison was talking about some kind of outdoors activity.”</p><p>“Have you seen this snowstorm?” She questioned, keeping her concern in check, “I didn’t even leave last night because it wasn’t safe to be on the roads.”</p><p>“I’m aware of that,” He set the dry-erase maker down, “I spent the night in my office. Have you tried to call her?”</p><p>“Yes. Straight to voicemail.”</p><p>“And Addison?”</p><p>“I’m in charge of five interns, Sir. I can’t be in charge of an Attending too,” He gave her a stare, and she sighed, “Straight to voicemail with Addison too.”</p><p>“Did you ask your interns if they knew? Don’t two of them live with Meredith?”</p><p>“O’Malley and Stevens,” Shepherd spoke up. She’d almost forgotten he was here.</p><p>“I’ll do that,” she answered.</p><p>As she made her way to find the intern who hadn't swapped with Meredith Grey, she hoped that whatever Addison and Meredith were doing yesterday, they’d managed to make it out of the storm. She refused to allow the alternative, that something had happened to either of them, cross her mind.</p><hr/><p>The fire was close to embers, but neither she nor Meredith were paying much attention. The blizzard seemed to be dying down, but it was still unsafe to walk in, possibly for another few hours; though judging by the ice accumulating on the windows, she was sure they needed to stay inside; it had to be below freezing by now. She was trying to keep the intern occupied, quizzing her for her upcoming exam, but she knew the blonde was slowly losing interest, her desire for her freedom outside these four walls holding her attention. </p><p>She leaned back against the chair, facing her, “You’ve got to study, Meredith. It’s important.”</p><p>“You know,” Meredith spoke up from where she sat on the bed, turning to stare out the window, “my mother used to say surgeons don’t get snow days.”</p><p>She hummed softly in agreement, making her way to the bed, deciding to give up for the time being, “Well, today doesn’t count; you wouldn’t make it in anyway. Today, you can pretend you’re not a surgeon.”</p><p>“What else could I possibly be?”</p><p>“Well,” She slid across the bed with a smile, “Since you don’t want to study, you can just be you. Just Meredith.”</p><p>Meredith smiled back, and her heart skipped several beats, “I think I can deal with that.”</p><p>“Good,” she replied, somehow managing to keep her voice steady, “Now scoot over. I’m freezing.”</p><p>Meredith laughed but did as she asked. She settled in next to her. They were huddled under the blanket together, and Meredith sighed as she snuggled up against her. </p><p>She tried not to think about what this meant, if anything at all, and certainly nothing romantic. They were friends. The thought continued on repeat in her head. Friends, friends, friends. Still, she didn’t hesitate to wrap her arm around her, and she felt Meredith relax, resting her head against her shoulder.</p><p>This was nice. Meredith reached out and grabbed her hand. It felt nice, just to hold her. To help keep her warm. To be a part of Meredith’s life. She wouldn’t jeopardize that for anything.</p><p>“Your hands are freezing, Addison.”</p><p>“So are yours.”</p><p>Meredith laughed, looking up at her, “You are,”</p><p>She caught her eyes, “I am?”</p><p>“So,” Meredith continued, her laughing dying away.</p><p>“So?” she repeated.</p><p>Meredith’s eyes darted down to her lips, and she couldn’t help the way that her eyes did the same. Because this was Meredith Grey. The Meredith Grey that everyone had fallen in love with; the star-intern, Ellis Grey’s legacy, the one everyone had placed their bets on. The woman that she wasn’t supposed to be friends with, that had stolen her now-ex-husband. But they were. They were friends. And more than that, more than a friend, Meredith was the woman that she’d fallen in love with too.</p><p>“Perfect,” Meredith finished softly.</p><p>“Yes, you are,” she agreed, “You are so perfect.”</p><p>“No, really. You’re an amazing surgeon, and you save babies. That’s pretty perfect to me.” Meredith smiled at her sincerely.</p><p>“And you,” she began, catching Meredith’s eyes, unable to look away, “are going to be an even better surgeon.”</p><hr/><p>“Stevens,” Bailey stood in front of the intern, frowning. There was so much they still needed to do today, and this was wasting time. “Do you know where Grey was going yesterday?”</p><p>“Meredith?” Stevens asked.</p><p>She rolled her eyes, “Unless you had another intern named Grey with whom you are living with.”</p><p>“Dr. Montgomery came by and picked her up yesterday morning about 9:30,” Came the answer, “Meredith was complaining about going hiking.”</p><p>“Hiking?” She questioned, surprised.</p><p>“Yeah,” the intern replied, “Mere, she was not happy. She was complaining about how cold it was. She…”</p><p>“Did she say where they were going? Did Addison?” She interrupted.</p><p>“No, she didn’t. But Doctor Montgomery said they’d be back before nightfall. But Mere didn’t come home last night. I was up all night with…”</p><p>“That’s all,” She answered, not wanting to hear about intern escapades.</p><p>She headed back to Richard. She didn’t like this. Not one bit.</p><hr/><p>“Hiking?” Richard questioned as Bailey relayed the information. </p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“In this storm?”</p><p>“Yes. Though, it doesn’t seem like either of them knew that it would get this bad.”</p><p>“Did Stevens say where they went?”</p><p>“No,” Bailey shook her head, “But Addison said they’d be back at some point last night. Should we send someone to look for them, Sir?”</p><p>“We don’t even know where they are.”</p><p>“Where who are?” Callie questioned as she made their way towards them.</p><p>“Grey and Montgomery,” Bailey answered, “The Chief here gave them a bonding exercise yesterday, and they went hiking. Grey hasn’t shown up to work today, and Addison was scheduled to be in by 9, but both their cells are going to voicemail. Grey was supposed to be covering for O’Malley today because he covered her yesterday for this trip.”</p><p>“Oh, yeah, Addison said something about hiking in the forest yesterday. Are you saying they aren’t back yet?”</p><p>“Would we be asking if they were?” Bailey shot back.</p><p>“Torres,” he spoke up, “Do you know where?”</p><p>“No,” The Latina answered, “You don’t think something happened to them, do you?”</p><p>“The storm is bad,” he replied, “But we can’t go out on a rescue mission. Call Seattle Pres and Mercy West. Have them call if anyone matching Meredith or Addison’s descriptions shows up, alright?” He directed the question at Bailey, hoping it would help.</p><p>The woman nodded and made her way back to the nurse’s station. Despite all her grumbling, he knew she was worried, even if she refused to show it.</p><hr/><p>Addison wasn’t quite sure when they’d fallen asleep, but when she woke up, Meredith was still laying beside her. She still had her arm around the blonde, but Meredith didn’t seem mind, cuddled up against her, seemingly thriving off the contact. It felt nice, like it was right where Meredith belonged.</p><p>And that was selfish. No one had ever felt like they belonged in her arms, not Derek, not Mark, not Skippy Gold, like how it had never felt right (after a while) to be in any of theirs. It was such an intense feeling, the need for physical touch, and she knew that had to do in-part to her upbringing. Briefly, she wondered if Meredith felt the same thing, the craving for a physical connection, but she wasn’t about to ask her when she was asleep.</p><p>Whether it was the cabin’s atmosphere or the snow falling outside, she was starting to feel sleepy again. It could also have to do with the sleeping intern beside her.</p><p>She caught a glimpse through the window. It almost looked like the snow had stopped, that the wind had quieted down. If the storm was finally over, she really needed to check. Needed to wake Meredith. They needed to get going. But the cabin’s shelter was reliable, and Meredith was sleeping so peacefully; she didn’t want to wake her. She couldn’t. Because if it was over, they’d have to go back to being surgeons, and just for today, for this one moment, she didn’t want Meredith to have to worry about work or getting back to the car. Meredith didn’t need to be a surgeon today. She just needed to rest; they both did. And as she settled back on the bed beside the blonde, Meredith readjusted her position, and she held her closer as a compromise. The fire had nothing on body heat, and as the temperature outside dropped, it was probably a good thing that neither of them cared much about personal space.</p><hr/><p>Meredith woke much like she had that morning, curled into Addison’s embrace; she wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but since her phone had died, she wasn’t worried about it. She caught a glimpse in the icy window and was relieved to see that the snowstorm had finally stopped. She wasn’t sure what time it was, but it was still early, the sun still in the sky.</p><p>“Addison?” She said, trying to wake the Attending.</p><p>Normally, the redhead stirred immediately, but she seemed to be out like a light now.</p><p>“Addison, I’m going to take a look outside,” She continued, but still, the redhead didn’t stir. She would’ve tried to shake her awake had Addison not looked peaceful.</p><p>Instead, she got out of the bed, making her way to the front door. She pulled on her coat, boots and gloves. A quick look around outside wasn’t going to hurt anything. Besides, Addison hadn’t had an issue with it earlier. </p><p>She pulled open the door, and immediately, the freezing wind hit her face. It was colder than yesterday morning, that was for sure. She pulled the door closed behind her, keeping the cold out of the cabin. Unlike what she’d thought inside, the storm hadn’t stopped, and she still couldn’t see past her nose. It was possibly colder than yesterday, and if anything, the storm may have gotten worse.</p><p>Still, she took a few steps forward, intending on clearing a quick path down the steps, and promptly fell off the porch. She landed face-first in the icy-snow, feeling the cold biting into her skin.</p><p>“Ow!”</p><p>Sometimes, she wondered how she was a surgeon at all, when she was clumsy as all hell. She struggled to her feet, feeling the wind trying to push her down. <em>Bad idea, bad idea</em>! The wind was making everything worse, and if she was freezing before, it didn’t help to warm her up. She forced her way through the wind on her hands and knees, making it back onto the porch, groping with the door handle before finally pushing the door open and making her way inside.</p><p>“What the hell are you doing?” Addison’s voice washed over her as she shut the door, leaning back against it.</p><p>She looked up to find Addison coming from the back of the cabin, her concern overwriting the anger in her voice.</p><p>“Went to-to see if the-the storm stop-stopped,” She couldn’t stop shivering, just managing to pull off her gloves.</p><p>Her hands were shaking, and Addison let out a sigh as she made her way over to her.</p><p>“Let me help,” the redhead muttered soothingly, her anger bleeding away as she unzipped her coat and removed her boots, “Your socks and jeans are soaked. What did you do, fall?” At her nod of confirmation, Addison sighed again, “Take them off.”</p><p>“If you want-wanted me to str-strip, you could’ve-could’ve just ask-asked,” She tried to joke, but Addison didn’t answer, moving over to her backpack.</p><p>“I have a pair of sweatpants and some clean socks,” the redhead laid the items on the table.</p><p>“Wh-Why?”</p><p>“Always be prepared,” Addison answered, “Just in case,” Addison’s blue eyes washed over her as she attempted to pry the wet jeans off, “They’re stuck, aren’t they?” She nodded, and Addison laughed softly, kneeling down. “Okay, you push, I pull.” It took some effort, but finally, they got the soaked item off. To think, only a few minutes outside had done this. Though, had she not fallen, then maybe she wouldn’t be in this predicament.</p><p>She tried not to think of Addison kneeling in front of her, that Addison was seeing her half-dressed. It definitely wasn’t the way she’d wanted Addison to see her half-dressed, not that she’d thought about it or anything. She gratefully pulled on the warm pants and clean socks, sitting in front of the fire like Addison told her to.</p><p>“It’s bad,” She muttered after a few minutes, as the older surgeon laid out her soaked clothes to dry, “I thought it had stopped, but it didn’t. It’s colder. The wind, it’s like shards of ice.”</p><p>“I think it stopped at one point,” Addison confessed, “But you were sleeping, and I must have fallen back asleep.”</p><p>She digested the words slowly. On one hand, she was pissed. If it had stopped, then they’d missed their chance to get back to the hospital. But on the other, it was possible that they would’ve gotten stranded on the way back. At least here, they knew they were safe. And if they had left, they wouldn’t have this time together. It was kinda nice, this extra bonding with Addison; and, no they didn’t need it, but there was no reason to be angry about it.</p><p>“All we can do now is wait for it to stop again,” From the corner of her eye, she saw Addison breath out a sigh of relief, as if she’d actually choose to be angry with the woman. She was too cold for that. She shivered.</p><p>“Meredith?” Addison’s concerned voice washed over her.</p><p>“So cold,” She muttered. It felt as though the cold was settled in her bones.</p><p>Addison held out her hand; she gratefully took it, letting the redhead help her up. The fire was great and all, but the blankets were warm, and Addison was warm, and if she had to choose between the fire and Addison, she would choose Addison, not that she would ever admit it. Maybe it was because she was so cold but as she settled into Addison’s arms, the redhead felt like a space heater. Her personal space heater.</p><p>“You’re so warm,” She muttered softly, and Addison chuckled, pulling the blankets over them again.</p><p>“I’ll make sure to wake you if the weather changes,” Addison reassured her, “Warm up, Grey because as soon as this is over, we’re getting out of here.” She didn’t know why that made her sad. Getting out was what she wanted.</p><p>The wind was loud as it beat against the windows, and the fire was crackling in the distance. And Addison was holding her close. They would never do this in the hospital, she thought fleetingly. Too many prying eyes, too many rumors. But here it was safe. Here they didn’t have to be anything other than Meredith and Addison. As sleep settled over her for the second time, she almost wished they could stay in the cabin forever. </p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p>
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</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A/N: Let me know what you thought. Please review!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A/N: This is a short-ish chapter. More to come</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It’s cold.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>It’s the first conscious thought that filters through Meredith’s mind as she begins to wake up. She sits up slowly, the blanket wrapped tightly around her, looking around the empty cabin.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Addison?” She calls out.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>The cabin is freezing; the door is blown open, and the icy wind is blowing in, snuffing out any chance of warmth. There’s no sign of Addison, and as she stands from the bed, she sees that the fire is out as well. It’s unnerving, both Addison’s disappearance and the lack of heat, though she tries not to think about either. Right now, it was more important to shut the door, keep out the cold. But as she starts towards the door, it keeps getting further and further away.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>With each passing moment, she feels herself getting more and more frustrated; it’s as though she’s running in place, knowing exactly where she needs to go but unable to get to the destination; the wind bites into her skin. This could very possibly be worse than drowning in the bay, or maybe on the very same level. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>She’s all alone. She has no idea where Addison is, and that scares her more than the  abandonment itself. Because Addison would not leave her. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Addison?” She calls again.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>The storm starts to make its way into the cabin, freezing everything in its path. And she’s shrinking, getting smaller and smaller.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Addison!” She frantically shouts in one last desperate attempt as the storm gets closer and closer. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Please, please!</span>
  <em>
    <span> “Addison?!”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, Hey,” Addison’s voice washed over, and she sat up, pulling herself from the nightmare. Addison was sitting beside her, concern and worry in her eyes, “Breathe, Meredith.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She choked out a breath, feeling embarrassed. She was hyper-aware of everything: the tears staining her cheeks; the blankets wrapped around her; Addison rubbing a hand soothingly along her back. It felt like her entire life was on display, like she was exposed and open, and she hated it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re alright,” Addison’s voice was gentle and soothing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Bad dream,” she said, though Addison hadn’t asked. She wasn’t even sure if Addison wanted to know the details, or even whether she wanted to tell her. She wiped the tears off her cheeks, “I’m fine.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Addison didn’t push, but she didn’t stop rubbing her back either; and, she realized, she didn’t stop looking at her, her eyes full of warmth and compassion. Like all the other times Addison had stared at her, it didn’t feel unnerving. She supposed if it were anyone else it would unnerve her. Though if it were anyone else, she wouldn’t be in this predicament. She wouldn’t have agreed to come out in the first place. She shivered, as if she was still stuck in the nightmare world, freezing in the cold cabin. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Here,” She’d heard Addison’s voice like this before - the voice she used when talking with a patient - the gentle tone calming her. The redhead repositioned the blankets more securely around her, “Better?” She let out a low hum in appreciation as she laid back down.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No change?” She asked, though if she listened, she could hear the wind howling.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Addison shook her head, “It’s still going strong.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She was silent for a few minutes, just listening to the outside world. This had to be the worst snowstorm (blizzard, whatever people wanted to call it) that Seattle had seen in a long time. And if someone had told her five months ago that she’d be glad she’d be sharing this cabin with Addison, well, she’d have probably laughed in their face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Addison?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hm?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She took a breath, “Can you hold me again?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And she was expecting a rebuke, had braced herself for it. Instead, she felt Addison's arms come around her again, and she couldn’t contain her sigh of relief as she relaxed into Addison’s embrace.</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>Addison couldn’t deny that she enjoyed being able to hold Meredith, much like how she couldn’t deny her frenzied worry when she’d woken up to Meredith missing. And it took her longer than she’d wanted to admit to realize that Meredith had left the cabin, frantically searching the back rooms for any sign of the intern before realizing that her snow boots, gloves and coat were missing. Luckily, she didn’t have to worry too long about how far the blonde had gotten, because the next moment, Meredith was scampering through the cabin door, looking like a wet animal that hadn’t enjoyed getting wet in the first place.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She couldn’t deny her relief much either, despite her burning anger that the woman hadn’t taken her advice to stay in the cabin. Because she may have been angry, but Meredith was shivering, and she was reminded of the bay incident. It haunted her some nights, and she woke up in a cold sweat, Meredith’s lifeless body flat-lined on the table playing over and over in her mind.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And right now, as Meredith settled back against her after an apparent nightmare, all she wanted to do was ease the pain. Meredith shifted in her arms, sighing in content, and she felt her heartbeat quicken. They would never do this in the hospital, she realized. Meredith’s reputation couldn’t handle another scandal, and she was sure even if it was just sleeping, rumors would fly. Though she would take all the rumors in the world if just to let Meredith sleep like she was doing now.</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>It felt like minutes later when Addison’s voice washed over her again. She hummed out a response, not hearing anything the redhead was saying. All she knew was that she was warm, and she didn’t want to go back to being cold.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Meredith? Meredith?” She sighed, attempting to ignore the woman, but Addison shook her, “Mere, let’s go.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mmm?” She muttered softly, “Go?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We’ve got to go now. I don’t know when we’ll get another chance.” She blinked sleepily, staring up at the redhead. Addison was moving frantically around the room… no, not frantically. Quickly, with the same precision and finesse as she would in the OR. “Grey, move!” Oh, now </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span>? That was frantic.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She jumped up, nearly falling off the bed in her haste. She moved quickly, fixing the blankets and throwing her still-damp jeans and socks into her backpack. She grabbed the key to the cabin, threw on her winter gear, and met Addison at the front door. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>This was it. The moment they walked out, there wasn’t any turning back. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ready?” Addison asked, glancing over at her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She nodded, “Yeah.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Down the steps and head to the right, okay?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mhmm,” She muttered. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey,” Her eyes shot to Addison’s, and she was instantly captivated, like all the times before, “I won’t let anything happen to you, Meredith,” As she was digesting the way that Addison said that, the sincerity shining in her eyes, the redhead offered her a small grin and continued, “I like you too much.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“When we get out of here,” She answered, and then clarified, “When we get to the hospital, I could really go for some Juju.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Me too,” Addison answered softly, “Go. Down the steps...”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And to the right,” She finished.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Addison smiled and pulled the door open.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A/N: Please review and let me know what you thought.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A/N: Another quick chapter just because I can. I’m so in love with this story.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Addison didn’t mean to stare. She really didn’t. It was just that this was the first time that she was really seeing Meredith since they got back from the cabin; the entire week, Meredith had been on Derek’s service, and she’d been stuck with O’Malley. Not that she minded O’Malley, or any of the other interns, but she knew that she was the only Attending that was letting Meredith do anything other than scut and labs. Hell, even Bailey allowed Meredith to do more in her OR.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The intern in question looked absolutely terrible. Her clothes were clean, and she was taking care of her appearance, and nothing about the woman that looked out of place, but there was something that was just </span>
  <em>
    <span>off</span>
  </em>
  <span>. And she wished she could say it didn’t worry her, but it did. They’d spent over 24 hours stuck in a cabin together, and she noticed things, whether she wanted to or not. And Meredith looked like, well, honestly, it looked like she was about to fall asleep at the table. She knew interns hardly slept, but everyone else at the table looked better. Hell, she had O’Malley up half the night checking in on premature twins every half-hour, and he looked better than Meredith.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Addison? Hello, Addison?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She blinked, tearing her eyes from Meredith to focus back on Callie and Mark and their conversation, “I’m sorry, what?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I asked if you wanted to get drinks after work with Mark and I,” Callie repeated.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She resisted rolling her eyes, not at Callie, but at the over-eagerness in Mark’s eyes. This was obviously some ploy by him to have a threesome, and it was grating on her nerves. If he wasn’t asking her for sex, he was having sex with Callie in an on-call room. And if he wasn’t having sex, he was pestering her for a threesome. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you asking because you want me there or because Mark wants a threesome?” She replied, cutting through the bullshit. She didn’t have time if this was going to turn into a failed </span>
  <span>ménage à trois</span>
  <span>, “Because I wouldn’t mind a drink, but as I’ve told Mark countless times, he’s a pig, and he doesn’t get a threesome.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What? Threesome?” Callie looked from her to Mark, “I just want a drink.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mark started to open his mouth but quickly shut it, realizing that maybe he shouldn’t say anything if he wanted to get laid that night.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He offered Callie a McSteamy smile, “Only drinks. Honestly Addison, if you’d stop staring at interns all day…” he trailed off with a grin.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>This time, she did roll her eyes, “I’m not staring at anyone.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, you just missed Grey walk into a wall,” Mark answered. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What? </span>
  </em>
  <span>She turned immediately, just in time to see Yang and Stevens leading Meredith out of the cafeteria, flanking her really, with Karev and O’Malley following. Okay, something was seriously wrong, “So, 8 o’clock?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She wanted to go after the small group, but there was no way she could justify speaking to Meredith alone, not to Mark or Callie and especially not to Meredith’s friends.</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>She got her chance when she met with George after lunch. He was going over the updated stats on the premature babies, and as they stepped outside to give the parents time to visit, she spoke.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re doing good work, O’Malley. Have you ever considered a career in neonatal?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh no. I’m not sure yet. I mean, Alex is set on plastics and Izzy likes Neuro. Cristina is dead set on Cardio. And Meredith, she um, she’s not sure yet either.” </span>
  <em>
    <span>Gotcha</span>
  </em>
  <span>!</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is Grey feeling alright? She looked a little,” she paused, trying to find the right word, “off-balance at lunch.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, um, she’s not sleeping that well, Dr. Montgomery. Not since um…” George paused, looking uncomfortable as he rubbed the back of his neck, “Well, not since the night after you and Meredith got back from your um…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Bonding exercise.” She filled in.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, that. Izzy and I hear her tossing and turning all night, sometimes. She’ll get a few hours here or there but uh…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She stopped listening before eventually silencing the intern by raising her hand, signaling him to stop, “Thank you, O’Malley. I don’t have surgery until 5. Can you organize my charts for me please?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, of course, Dr. Montgomery,” he answered, “Alphabetical by first name, right?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alphabetical by last name,” she corrected as she started to walk away. Honestly, was Meredith the only one who paid attention when assigned to a specialty they weren’t interested in? No, that wasn’t true. Karev paid attention sometimes, but those times also included him ogling her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She decided that the best course of action was to confront Meredith herself. If she wasn’t sleeping, then she figured she needed to figure out why and fix it. They were friends after all. And she knew exactly where to start.</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>“You’re not scrubbing in on my surgery looking like you’re about to fall over.” Derek’s voice was even, slightly concerned but firm.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m fine,” she replied, but she knew that was a lie.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She was teetering on the edge of sleep every night, but when sleep came, it only lasted a few hours, if she was lucky. She couldn’t figure it out. She was used to sleeping alone. So why couldn’t she just sleep?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re not fine. Go. Get a couple of hours in an on-call room. I’ll page you when I’m done.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Derek…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Meredith, just go.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She pushed her way out of the scrub room, anger rolling off of her in waves as she continued down the hall. How dare he? How the hell was she supposed to learn anything when no one would show her or even let her into an OR? There was nothing more that scut or labs could teach her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You look like a sight for sore eyes,” She turned towards the voice, her anger fading marginally as she saw Addison walking towards her, two cups of something steaming and warm in her hand.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She took the offered drink, eyeing it suspiciously for just a second, letting her anger ebb away, “Juju?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You look like you need it,” Addison replied, and then motioned for her to follow her, “O’Malley says you haven’t been sleeping much.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She rolled her eyes. Why couldn’t anyone stay out of her business?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m fine.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Uh huh,” Addison answered, sounding like she didn’t believe her one bit.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They walked together in silence for a few minutes, mindlessly sipping at the hot cocoa, before she broke it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Derek wouldn’t let me scrub in. Told me I should get some sleep. Kicked me out of his surgery. I’d been reading up on it the last few days.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You look like you’re about to fall over, Meredith.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She found an on-call room and peeked inside. Seeing it was empty, she opened the door wider, “I’ll be fine once I get some sleep.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Will you?” The redhead challenged.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Yes</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” she insisted.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I mean,” Addison stressed, “Will you sleep?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes,” she answered again. God, what was with people today? She wasn’t some little kid.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Addison smiled at her softly, and she felt her breath catch slightly, “Let me be worried about you, Meredith, just a little, okay?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay,” she replied, turning away from Addison as her face went about as red as the woman’s hair, “Fine, be worried.” She stammered out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Addison laughed softly, and she felt the redhead move closer. Addison leaned down until she felt her breath against her ear, her voice a soft, teasing caress, “Sleep well, Grey.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And then the neonatal surgeon was walking away, her telltale heels a dead giveaway. And if she could move, she would’ve. Instead, she was frozen in place, her heart pounding wildly in her chest, as she felt the effect Addison’s words wash over her. A few seconds passed before she was able to enter the on-call room and shut the door. She was exhausted, and she needed to sleep, but Addison’s voice played over and over in her mind. The woman was a damn tease. Instead, she took sips of the juju, letting it warm her as she paced the room. Once the cup was empty, she tossed it and laid down on the bed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She thought of Addison, her arms around her, the fire crackling in the cabin, and felt her eyes get heavy. Addison’s words play over and over in her mind on repeat. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Let me be worried about you, Meredith, just a little, okay</span>
  </em>
  <span>? </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And for a few hours, she slept.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A/N: More to come. Please review. </p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A/N: This may be the last chapter before Christmas, but I’m not sure yet. Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Meredith sat in a booth in the back of Joe’s bar, nursing a scotch on the rocks. It wasn’t her normal choice of booze, but seeing as she was drinking alone, there was no one to have shots with. Normally, she wouldn’t care, whether she was drinking alone or doing shots by herself. But after the day she’d had, she didn’t trust herself with tequila shots.</p><p>She heard the door to Joe’s chime over the music and looked over, half-expecting Cristina or Alex to have caved and joined her. But no. It was only Derek. She slouched in her seat so he wouldn’t see her. She wasn’t in the mood to deal with him, not after today. Not after his bombardment of pages while she was sleeping at his request. She took another sip of the scotch, feeling it burn on the way down. </p><p>She checked her phone, seeing it was just after 8. She finished her drink, not bothering to wait any longer. Her friends had ditched her. Well, okay, so technically, George was finishing his shift in the pit and Izzy was running labs for McSteamy, but Alex was off doing God knows what, and Cristina was her person and she needed her to be here.</p><p>She looked up again as the bell chimed and watched as McSteamy, Callie and Addison entered the bar. <em> Oh, great </em>. She sunk even further into her seat, wanting to just disappear. Tonight was not her night. </p><p>Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she pulled it out. <em> Finally </em>, flashed through her mind before she realized that it wasn’t any of her friends. In fact, she didn’t even have this number saved.</p><p>
  <em> You’re not avoiding me, are you? </em>
</p><p>She looked around the bar, scanning it quickly. Derek was still playing darts, Mark had pulled Callie onto the dance floor, and no one was even looking her way. Okay, this was weird. Yep, weird, weird. Too weird. She was just going to leave. Yep, definitely.</p><p>But as she started to stand, her phone buzzed again.</p><p><em> Pick your poison </em>.</p><p>She stared at the message, and then looked around again. And this time, she saw Addison, her blue eyes catching her gaze from across the bar, and she blushed. </p><p>She fumbled for her phone, abandoning her plan of leaving, <em> Whatever you’re having is fine. </em></p><p>Even from across the bar, she saw Addison’s smirk as she glanced down at her phone. Addison turned to Joe and placed her order.</p><hr/><p>Addison wasn’t trying to do anything but have a little fun. Mark and Callie had gone to dance, and she wasn't going to sit there alone. She’d seen Meredith sitting in the back of the bar, looking more awake than earlier but still not herself. At least, not the way she’d seen her a week before. She pulled out her phone, finding Meredith’s number. She may have stolen it off Derek’s phone while they were still married, but this was the first time she was using it. It was just some harmless texting, and she had to admit, seeing the blonde looking around frantically was almost cute. Still, she was wanting to check in, see if she had slept. So, when Meredith texted back that she’d have the same, she asked Joe for a couple strawberry daiquiris. It wasn’t her normal martini, but it was light and fun, and Meredith was looking very dark and twisty. And she was determined to change that.</p><p>She made her way to the blonde and couldn’t help but admire the spot. It was perfect for people-watching, intimate and cozy. Far from the door, but in perfect sight of the bar. And unless you were really looking, your eyes would slide right over them without a second thought. It felt like she was in her own little world with Meredith, and as she slid the drink over, she smiled.</p><p>“You may want to save that number. It’s a very important person.”</p><p>Meredith rolled her eyes, gesturing to her to sit, “How did you even,” she began, but then stopped, “You know what, I don’t care.”</p><p>She smirked, sipping at her drink as she surveyed the room. Derek was at the bar now, Mark and Callie were still dancing. No one was even paying them any mind, “Cozy spot you have here, Grey.”</p><p>“It’s my thinking spot.”</p><p>“Ah,” she looked over at her, curiously, “and whatever do you have on your mind?”</p><p>“My friends ditched me, and I’m still tired.”</p><p>“Mm, all your friends?” She asked.</p><p>“You don’t count,” Meredith answered.</p><p>“No,” she agreed, “I guess I don’t.”</p><p>“I mean, you don’t count as a friend who ditched me,” Meredith protested, and she smiled, “We’re friends, Addison.”</p><p>“Oh, I know that,” she replied. They <em> were </em> friends. But there was something brewing on the surface of that friendship. They both knew it, even if they tried to deny it, “Did you manage to get some sleep?”</p><p>Meredith nodded, looking relieved by the change of subject, “A few hours. Until Derek decided to page me half a million times to tell me I needed to run more labs.”</p><p>“Derek,” she replied softly, making the blonde look over at her, “is an idiot.” Meredith nodded, and she continued, “Finish your drink so I can take you home.”</p><p>Meredith, to her credit, didn’t spill her drink, instead gaping at her like a fish, “So you can w-what now?!”</p><p>“You need to sleep, Grey. You’re a walking zombie,” She couldn’t help the playful smile that slipped onto her lips, “What? You didn’t think…”</p><p>Meredith blushed deep red, “I didn’t say anything!”</p><p>“You implied it,” she replied.</p><p>“Well you wouldn’t be the first to…” Meredith began.</p><p>She couldn’t deny that she enjoyed getting into people’s comfort zones. She enjoyed getting under their skin. And she enjoyed the way Meredith stopped talking and blushed harder as she leaned forward and looked into her eyes, “When I kiss you, Meredith Grey, you are going to be completely sober, got it?” Wide-eyed, Meredith nodded. She smiled and sipped at her daiquiri, “Good. Now, drink up. I paid good money for these drinks.”</p><hr/><p>Mark watched as Addison led Meredith out of the bar with a knowing look in his eyes; Addison had her arm around the intern’s waist, and the blonde was leaning into her. No wonder she was so adamant about not having a threesome. She was going to have her own little party, just her and Meredith. It kinda sucked that she used her friendship with him and Callie as an excuse, but she’d make it up to them, he was sure.</p><p>He’d been trying to figure out what had changed between the two after their bonding trip the Chief had sent them on, and Addison had refused to say anything. But he wasn’t blind. No matter where it was, Addison sought out Meredith with her eyes, like how Meredith followed Addison with hers. They were drawn to each other. He could almost feel the sexual tension.</p><p>He hated to admit that he was jealous. Not of Meredith, but of Addison. The intern was, as far as the hospital rumor mill was concerned, an insanely hot lay. And despite him propositioning her early on, she’d remained impervious to his charms. And to think Addison was going to take her home? Oh yeah, he was jealous.</p><hr/><p>Meredith watched from inside the doorway as Addison pulled the sheets down on the bed and then went to the cabinet drawers to pull out some clean clothes. </p><p>“Shower is open. You can get cleaned up and changed. I’ll order us some food.”</p><p>When Addison had said she was going to take her home, she hadn’t thought that the redhead meant her hotel room. She was fully expecting to be dropped off at her house, so when Addison drove them to the Archfield instead, she was a little confused.</p><p>“Are you sure?” She questioned, and it felt like a repeat of the hiking experience. </p><p>“Yes, Meredith, I’m sure.” Addison answered patiently, all of her teasing pushed aside as she faced her, “We both have tomorrow off. You need to sleep without being disturbed, and you have two very loud roommates. So yes, I am very sure.”</p><p>“Okay,” she replied softly.</p><p>Addison smiled, handing her the clothes, “Okay.”</p><hr/><p>Four different text messages were waiting for her when she got out of the shower. She glanced at each of them without bothering to reply. She could do that tomorrow. Sure, they were her friends, but she was mad at them; not to mention, too tired to even think of how to reply. Right now, all she wanted to do was eat and then sleep.</p><p>She pulled on the T-shirt and sweats, feeling just a tad self-conscious. But this wasn’t much different than sleeping in the cabin. This time there was food; and she even had an escape plan. She’d accept Addison’s hospitality for the night, but she planned on being out before Addison woke up. She debated turning on her alarm but decided against it. Just a few hours and she’d be back up, anyway, right? No need for an alarm when her body was its own.</p><p>She brushed her hair and then dried it partially with a towel before letting it air dry. And then she was stepping back into the main room.</p><p>Addison was lounging on the bed reading over a file while something was playing on the TV, though it didn’t look like Addison was paying much attention to it. Addison’s blue eyes connected with her over the frame of her glasses, and she froze, blushing at the intensity in her gaze. And then Addison smiled at her. <em> Someone needs to help me </em>.</p><p>“Feel better?”</p><p>“Yeah,” she replied honestly.</p><p>“Good. Dinner got here a few minutes ago. I wasn’t sure what you wanted but I figured pizza was a good bet.”</p><p>“Your hotel has pizza?” She stepped forward to where the boxes rested on the table.</p><p>“No, but I figured you’d like pizza better than room service. But they do have a good breakfast.”</p><p>“Oh, uh, right,” she muttered.</p><p>After grabbing a couple of slices, she settled onto the bed beside Addison, who passed her the remote, “You can watch anything you want, as long as it’s not some medical drama. Those things are so over the top.”</p><p>She smiled, “What? You mean working in a hospital isn’t all sex and drama?”</p><p>Addison laughed, “Can you imagine what they’d call a show about Seattle Grace?”</p><p>She settled on an old episode of some obscure tv show, “Probably <em> Seattle’s Finest </em>.”</p><p>“<em> Hospital Drama 2.0 </em>,” Addison chimed in, glancing over at her.</p><p>She met her gaze, “I like that one.”</p><p>Addison laughed, “Of course you would.”</p><p>“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked, but Addison only shook her head, a soft smile on her lips.</p><p>“Eat your pizza, Meredith,” Addison placed the case file on the bedside table and stood, making her way to the closet to get her own set of nightclothes, “I’m going to get a shower. I’ll be out in a few.”</p><p>She waited until she heard the shower running before flipping to one of the romanticized medical dramas. What could she say? She was a sucker for them.</p><hr/><p>If she was honest with herself, Addison wasn’t quite sure what had possessed her to invite Meredith over to her hotel room. She told herself it was to make sure Meredith got some decent sleep, but she could’ve just paid for a separate hotel room for the other woman. And then she told herself it was because they were friends, but she knew that was a fickle excuse. Just because they were friends didn’t justify the need she had to make sure that Meredith was alright.</p><p>And she may have also missed the intimacy they shared during their time in the cabin. Sure, it may have been unplanned, but it had her seeing parts of Meredith she hadn’t before, parts that Meredith kept hidden away. There was so much to discover about her, beyond being Ellis Grey’s legacy, and she wanted to know it all.</p><hr/><p>Meredith flipped the channel back as soon as the shower stopped, and she watched the old show with feigned interest. Some nights this past week, she would sneak down to the living room and watch her mom’s old surgical tapes, sometimes using them as background noise; they would never help her sleep as long as she needed, and she would end up tossing and turning again in her bed. As Addison opened the door of the en suite and stepped out, she found herself openly staring. If there was one thing she’d never imagine seeing Addison in, it was flannel pants and a tank top.</p><p>“Did you get enough to eat?” Addison asked.</p><p>She nodded, struggling to make her mouth form words, “Yeah, I uh, it was good.”</p><p>Addison’s hair was tied up in a bun, with loose tendrils falling around her ears. She wanted to reach up and tug her hair loose. <em> Yep, I am definitely in trouble. </em></p><p>“You ready to sleep?” Addison asked as she settled under the covers beside her, and she resisted the urge she had to invade the woman’s personal space. This was not the cabin. They didn’t have to share body heat. </p><p>“Yeah,” she answered because she had been fighting with sleep for the better part of the week, but today especially. She wasn’t even sure what time it was, but it wouldn’t matter. Even as tired as she was…</p><p>Addison shut off the TV and plunged the room into darkness. If she was honest, when Addison had walked with her to an on-call room, she’d hoped that Addison would offer to nap with her. But that was wishful thinking. She already knew that it wouldn’t happen. Even if people didn’t talk, word would get around, and that was the last thing they needed was their friendship being mistaken as anything else.</p><p>“Meredith?” Addison’s voice was quiet.</p><p>“Hmm?” She muttered.</p><p>“I’m not going to bite. You can come closer,” Addison replied.</p><p>“Oh, right,” She didn’t want to get too close because as much as she wanted to be wrapped up in Addison’s arms, there was no reason to be. </p><p>But as she moved closer, Addison reached out for her. She froze as Addison’s fingers brushed against her cheek, failing to stop herself from blushing. Maybe this was a mistake. There was more than friendship between her and Addison, even if she tried to ignore it. And she tried. She tried so hard.</p><p>“Want me to…” Addison started.</p><p>She nodded, feeling exposed in the darkness, allowing Addison to wrap her arms around her. And as she settled against her, she was struck with the realization that no matter what it was, Addison knew exactly what she needed.</p><p>“Thank you,” She muttered softly, feeling her eyes get heavy.</p><p>And if Addison said anything back, it was lost on her as the call of sleep claimed her.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A/N: This was a super fun chapter to write. I loved writing Mark and his jealousy. We’ll see what happens with that next chapter. Please review! </p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A/N: Here’s another short-ish chapter while I plan the next one. I’m hoping to wrap this up soon.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It was the wind that woke Addison not long after she fell asleep. It rattled loudly against the windows, howling in the freezing air. For some reason, she found the sound soothing. It was nearly as loud as it had been the night they’d been at the cabin, but Meredith was still sound asleep, not that she could blame her. Between her utter exhaustion and snoring, she was sure that the intern couldn’t even hear it. Still, Meredith was curled up against her, and at some point during her brief sleep, she’d somehow managed to pull the slumbering intern closer; Meredith’s breath was warm against her neck, as she mumbled something in her sleep. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She shifted just slightly so she could grab the blankets that had started to fall off the bed and wrapped them more securely around herself and Meredith. If it had been a week since Meredith had gotten more than a few hours of sleep at a time, she was determined to make sure the blonde could sleep undisturbed. And that meant making sure she was warm and fed, and making sure their phones were charging on silent. Even if it was Meredith’s day off, she had no doubt her intern friends would try to call, or at the very least text. And Meredith didn’t need the distractions. It wasn’t like they didn’t see her every day, after all. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As she started to fall back asleep, she couldn’t help but imagine how Derek would feel if he found out that it was her, and not him, that helped Meredith Grey sleep at night. The thought made her smile. His loss was her gain. Besides, he’d had his chance to let her sleep and blew it by blowing up her pager last night.</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>Meredith blinked herself awake. The sun coming in through the window was off-putting, and she rolled over so that it wasn’t in her face. She was having the best dream, and of course the sun had to be the one to bring her back to reality. She was tempted to close her eyes and go back to sleep, but she knew that it was too late. Her body may be exhausted, but her mind was already awake. She stretched as she sat up and caught a glimpse at the clock. It was just after ten a.m., which she was actually impressed by. It had been a long time since she’d slept in this late, always at the hospital by five o’clock or being dragged out of bed on her day off by her friends for one reason or another. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Speaking of being dragged out of bed</span>
  </em>
  <span>… </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She looked around the hotel room, confusion dancing in her eyes. Where the hell was Addison? The spot beside her was still warm, a sign that Addison hadn’t been gone long, but where the hell did she go?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Addison?” she called out as she hopped off the bed. There was no response. She even checked the en-suite, but the redhead was nowhere to be found. She saw her phone plugged in next to their pagers, but Addison’s was gone. Okay, what the hell? </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Deciding not to think about it too much (it wasn’t like Addison had any obligation to tell her where she was going), she pulled her phone off of charge and brought up her unread messages. But just as she opened the first message, one from Cristina asking where she was, the hotel room door was pushed open, and Addison entered the room, looking very much like Satan. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She had an angry look in her eyes, downright terrifying, honestly, and her hair had fallen from its neat bun from last night, fanning around her face and down her back, and she just wanted to kiss the frown on her face away. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Wait</span>
  </em>
  <span>, </span>
  <em>
    <span>what</span>
  </em>
  <span>?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Was that the hospital?” She asked, and Addison’s eyes snapped to where she reclined on the bed; her gaze instantly softened and melted her in the process. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Please don’t look at me like that</span>
  </em>
  <span>, </span>
  <em>
    <span>please, please</span>
  </em>
  <span>… </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, it wasn’t,” Addison crossed the room, sighing, annoyed, “it was Derek.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh,” she replied.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Who, I guess, is at the hospital, so you weren’t wrong,” Addison settled onto the bed beside her with that same frown, “Mark saw us leaving together last night and jumped to conclusions.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What?” She couldn’t help the way the question came out with a laugh, “And he told Derek? What? Did he say that we hooked up?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Something like that, I'm sure,” Addison confirmed, “I woke up to 5 missed calls and four texts from Derek, asking me to call him.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, you did?” She guessed, and Addison nodded, “Well, what did you tell him?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I told him that he was lucky I had my phone on silent so his constant badgering didn’t wake you up, that you were sleeping.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She blushed, though hoped it wasn’t too visible, “Is that why you were outside the room?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Addison smiled softly, turning to face her, “Of course it was. I was trying to be quiet, and he started yelling, and you were sleeping. I didn’t want him to wake you up. So I stepped outside the room while he finished yelling.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I appreciate that,” she replied with a smile, because really that may have been the nicest thing anyone had ever said to her. She wasn’t sure if anyone else would’ve been as thoughtful, at least not at first. Izzy and George always realized too late that they were too loud, and sometimes when Alex or Cristina barged in, they forgot that she’d been having trouble sleeping. So yeah, it was kinda nice to be thought of as more than a quick afterthought. Not that they didn’t care because they did. They just also forgot that this week was hell; she did the same thing before, but the life of interns was a rough one.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He asked where we were,” Addison said, bringing her back to the conversation, “and I told him that it didn’t matter, that we were both single.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She tried not to blush. Addison had basically given Derek the allusion that they’d slept together.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You uh,” she started, licked her lips and tried again, “You told him that? And you’re not worried that he’s going to think we slept together?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Addison smirked at her, a playful glint in her eyes, “Are </span>
  <em>
    <span>you </span>
  </em>
  <span>worried he’s going to think we slept together?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, of course not,” she rolled her eyes. What Derek Shepherd thought of her hadn’t crossed her mind in weeks.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Honestly though,” Addison began, “Did you sleep okay? The wind was crazy last night.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah,” she nodded, “I don’t even think I heard it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Addison hummed in reply. Honestly, she was surprised that she </span>
  <em>
    <span>hadn’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> heard the wind. Each and every little thing had been waking her up this week, so to actually get more than a few hours at a time was refreshing. And yet, despite her desire for even more sleep, she was wanting to leave soon. Being cooped up with the woman in a cabin was one thing, and she enjoyed spending the night in the hotel room, but her mind kept going back to last night. And it may have been freaking her out just a bit.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>When I kiss you, Meredith Grey, you are going to be completely sober, got it?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It wasn’t even if. It was </span>
  <em>
    <span>when</span>
  </em>
  <span>. When Addison kissed her. And she said it stone-cold sober too. Which meant that the attraction was more than just one-sided, was more than just her wishful thinking. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How about you turn on the TV, and I’ll order us some breakfast,” Addison said, breaking her out of her thoughts as she handed her the remote.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And now she had a choice to make. A super hard choice. Because she enjoyed Addison’s company. She’d had fun last night. And she’d actually slept. But she hadn’t meant to sleep so long, had planned to be out before Addison had woken up, and her body had betrayed her. So really, this was just…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s just breakfast, Grey,” Addison says with a laugh, “No need to look so tense.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She couldn’t help but smile back at Addison, turning on the TV and flipping to a random channel, “Pancakes with blueberries and whipped cream on top and a side of bacon, drenched with syrup. Ooh, and coffee.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Blueberries and syrup, of course, you would,” Addison muttered to herself as she grabbed the hotel phone and dialed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s like 4 of the 5 food groups,” she protested with a smile.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Addison laughed softly. Maybe staying for an hour or so more wasn’t going to be a bad thing after all. She picked up her phone and opened her texts, sending her worried friends the same message.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Went home with Addison last night. I’m alive</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A/N: So, I’m thinking of swapping up the POVs for the next chapter, but I’ll see as I start writing it. Please review!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A/N: And here is where we reach the end of the tale. Thanks to everyone who’s reviewed so far and followed along!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><em> Went home with Addison last night. I’m alive </em>.</p><p>Cristina reread the message a few times, trying to understand if that was supposed to be a cry for help or not. It wasn’t that hard to read Meredith in person but over text was a nightmare. She thought about trying to decipher the message (briefly, she considered if there was a message to decipher at all) before deciding that she would simply message her back.</p><p>
  <em> You let Satan take you back to Hell with her? And she didn’t torture you all night? ;) </em>
</p><p>The reply comes faster than she expected.</p><p>
  <em> You’re impossible. We just slept.  </em>
</p><p>She couldn’t keep the smirk off her face, <em> You’re still there, aren’t you? </em></p><p>The reply was again immediate, <em> Yes, I’m still here. She bought breakfast. </em></p><p>Oh, of course she did. <em> Enjoy breakfast with Satan </em>.</p><p>She pocketed her phone, knowing that Meredith would simply roll her eyes without replying.</p><p>As much as Meredith had complained about having to go on their hiking experience when Addison had first told her, she hadn’t complained once after she had gotten back. Before it had even started, she knew how bad Meredith had been crushing on Addison. She wasn’t blind, even if Meredith had wanted to keep it to herself. She’d made subtle comments, all of which Meredith had ignored, but she knew. </p><p>In fact, there were times she’d caught her person staring at the neonatal surgeon when the redhead wasn’t looking, following her with her eyes whenever the taller woman walked away. A few times, she’d found Meredith in the gallery of one of Addison’s surgeries, just watching her; there was an envious look in her eyes when anyone but her — especially Evil Spawn or George — got placed on the Attending’s service, though she never outwardly complained.</p><p>And there was also the whole unable to sleep issue that had come up right after their trip. At first, she’d thought something had happened between the two in the cabin, but she knew that Meredith would’ve said something, or at least, she would hope she would’ve; it was weird, as Meredith used to bemoan about her problems with Derek, yet she kept her moments with Addison completely private. To her, the lack of sleeping seemed as though Meredith was going through Addison-withdrawal. The close proximity outside of work had shifted something between them. It was like once she got a taste of what it was like, she was dependent on that.</p><p>She nearly laughed out loud. That was way too cliché. But, at least she knew that the attraction wasn’t one-sided. With the way Satan had constantly checked in on Meredith after her near-drowning experience, she was sure that Addison was attracted to Meredith too. After it had happened and she was back at work, Meredith had complained about the Attendings, how they were playing it safe around her, making her do scut and labs. But after being placed on Addison’s service and had her first surgery with Addison, she practically was gushing about the redhead and how the surgery had gone; she’d teased her about wanting to go into neonatal, but she was just glad there was one Attending that wasn’t treating Meredith like she would break.</p><p>It was tempting to text Meredith again just to tease her, but she held herself back. Meredith was enjoying her day off, and she didn’t want to bother her again. Sure, Satan made her walk into walls, but at least she knew that she wasn’t going to spring something sudden on her, like a spouse.</p><p>She would have to grill Meredith more later. Right now, she was going to get in on a surgery, even if she had to do scut for a month.</p><hr/><p>Meredith didn’t mean to fall back asleep. Breakfast was amazing, and she and Addison had settled back on the bed, watching a show while they enjoyed their food. It was relaxing. Especially when Addison flipped to one of the medical dramas when their current show was over.</p><p>“You said you hated medical dramas.”</p><p>Addison had smiled softly, and turned to look at her, “Everyone has a guilty pleasure, Meredith.”</p><p>Maybe it was the way Addison said her name or maybe the words <em> guilty pleasure </em>coming out of her mouth, but she felt a swarm of butterflies fluttering in her stomach. It was around the midway point of the show that she’d felt her eyes get heavy. It was barely noon, and really, she needed to be getting back home. The doctor on the TV was explaining something to her students, and really, how many shows about teaching hospitals were there?</p><p>“At least this show isn’t as bad as some of the other ones I’ve seen,” Addison said, and she tried to focus on her voice, to pull herself from the call of sleep.</p><p>But it wasn’t too long before the haze started over her again, whispering to her. And then she was out like a light.</p><p>And then the next thing she remembered was waking up. She blinked, finding herself staring into Addison’s sleeping face. She glanced at the alarm clock to find that barely an hour had passed. Somehow they were tangled together, and while she briefly scolded herself for getting into these situations over and over with this woman, she couldn’t stop the wave of contentment that washed over her. It was nice to be able to rest without any kind of commitment looming over her. </p><p>As she studied Addison’s face, trying to determine if she should wake her or not, she couldn’t help but admire her beauty. How anyone would ever leave her was astounding to her. Sure, she’d made a mistake with Mark, but she was human. And even if she hadn’t, how Derek could ever pick her over Addison still blew her mind. And that was part of the reason him leaving her after the ferry boat accident had hurt so much. Because he’d hurt her by choosing Addison, and then had hurt Addison by continuing to try to pursue her, and then when he grew tired of the game of back and forth, he’d divorced Addison and tried to get with her. And then, when she got too dark and twisty for him, he’d thrown her aside. And that had hurt. Neither she nor Addison would never be good enough for him. And she found that she was okay with that. And as she stared at Addison, she realized that she didn’t want some perfect person. They were two imperfect people, and maybe that would be enough.</p><p>“I can feel you staring at me,” Addison’s voice was low with sleep, but she jumped, startled. Addison‘s eyes flicked open, and instantly grew concerned, “What’s wrong?”</p><p>It was only when Addison reached out and wiped at her cheek that she realized she was crying.</p><p>“Nothing,” she replied wiping at her face, “I uh, I was getting ready to leave and didn’t want to just disappear while you were sleeping.”</p><p>The concern in Addison’s eyes didn’t fade, but she didn’t press either. Instead, she nodded, “I’ll drive you.”</p><hr/><p>Addison tried to keep the disappointment off her face as Meredith opened the passenger side door and got out. Truthfully, she’d wanted to talk more about what Meredith was thinking about when she’d woken to her crying. Instead, they spent the time from the hotel in silence, the only sound being the radio. She’d already monopolized most of the intern’s day off, and she didn’t want to keep her any more than she had to. So, when Meredith turned back to the car, she couldn’t help but feel hope blooming in her chest.</p><p>“Did you want to come in for a bit?”</p><p>She smiled, trying to ease her nerves, “Sure.”</p><p>Meredith turned back to wait for her to shut off the engine and follow her, and she was relieved. She hated to admit that she liked the company. Over the last week, she’d been sorely missing the woman, and in less than 24 hours, she’d felt more rejuvenated than she had in years. There was something about Meredith that put her at ease.</p><p>She’d never felt that way about anyone, not Derek, not Mark. Sure, she’d loved them both at one point or another, but they’d never put her at ease like Meredith did. And Meredith made her feel things that she was terrified to feel. It was such an intense feeling, and it scared her.</p><p>“I really needed today. And last night too. It was fun,” Meredith said as they entered the house.</p><p>She smiled and questioned jokingly, “Not as fun as two days in the cabin though?”</p><p>“No, nothing could beat that,” Meredith answered with a soft smile. </p><p>“I guess not,” she replied and felt something shift in the air. It made her feel brave, braver than she’d felt in years, “But today came pretty close.”</p><p>“Yeah,” Meredith replied.</p><p>“Mhmm,” she answered.</p><p>She took a step forward, but Meredith didn’t step away; instead, the blonde stood a bit straighter, staring into her eyes.</p><p>She couldn’t do this. Every instinct was screaming at her to take what Meredith was offering. Every single fiber of her being was begging her to lean in and kiss her. And she wanted to ignore those thoughts. Because this was Meredith, damn it. She told herself that she would be better than Derek. She was the Attending; Meredith was the intern. It was inappropriate. </p><p>She wanted to run. She wanted to… </p><p>“Addison?” Meredith’s voice was quiet.</p><p>“Meredith?” She replied.</p><p>The blonde took a shuddering breath, “I’m completely sober.”</p><p>She smirked, “You certainly are, aren’t you?”</p><p>She stared into Meredith's eyes, making sure that every move she made was okay; and then she leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to the intern’s lips. Maybe the way she’d be different from Derek was that she’d actually treat Meredith right; she wouldn’t lie to her, she wouldn’t keep things from her. Attending and intern be damned. </p><p>Meredith sighed into her mouth and leaned closer, and she grinned softly as she was kissed back. She reached her hand up, cradling the blonde’s face, using the other to steady the woman. Meredith slowly pulled away, opening her eyes. Her eyes were dark with desire, the piercing blue-green staring right into her, feeling as though her very soul was being stared into.</p><p>“Wow,” the blonde breathed out.</p><p>She smirked, “I’ll say.” Meredith grinned, leaning up to kiss her again. She beat her to it, bringing her lips down crashing on hers again, “Definitely wow.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A/N: Please review!</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks so much for reading this first chapter. Please review!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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